Would it be possible to offer a “minimalist” version of the site for people who prefer faster loading speeds and a more responsive interface to visual fanciness?
Web Developer Toolbar tells me the site loads 1.7 (compressed) - 2.8 (uncompressed) MB of data per page. One of the scripts is about 800 kb (compressed), that’s bigger than “The Black Dahlia” by James Ellroy (650 kb, uncompressed). A single stylesheet eats 400 kb. That’s 1.25x “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”… I wonder if all that is necessary.
I’m glad it has been noticed. Using http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/#!/cHn7XK/online-go.com I wonder why the front page needs to load all of the audio files: e.g. female-en-10.ogg (I understand the current design, but couldn’t those be downloaded in the background.) The three sites that made me notice are http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/#!/d8P0M2/lichess.orghttps://forums.online-go.com/ (which loads enough that I can start reading, even when it hasn’t finished downloading) and my old cached copy of www.online-go.com on an old laptop that I had not used in years [the blue web 1.0 version of the site, before matburt, anoek took up the heavy burden] - that loaded (seemingly) instantly. The current site is amazing, (though Google Chrome on Android kit-kat on a 360x640 screen can struggle with the layout.)
The page load time isn’t a huge deal, but the stone-beachball is an opportunity to practice my inner calm, “it will stop turning soon, it will stop turning soon…” and train my inner impatient child to be greatful for the work that you do for our community. Thank you team.